According to the pattern...

Part 3 - Supporting each other

If you have done those things suggested in these studies so far then you will now have become a child of God. Your Father, God Himself has made provision for you to be looked after and discipled for the rest of the days that you will live in your physical body, the provision is called "the body of Christ" – the church and its members.

In the story of Moses fight with the Amalakites, Exodus chapter 17 verses 8 to 13 we see that because Moses had the support of Aaron and Hur the Israelites were able to prevail against the enemy because these people lifted up the arms of Moses continuously until the battle was one.

The battle we are involved in is not one that will take a few hours, days, weeks or months to win, it will continue until we are taken up to be with Jesus our saviour, forevermore. We are not fighting flesh and blood so conventional weapons are ineffective, this battle can only be won through prayer and obedience to God.

Just as Moses saw more and more victory because his companions were continuously lifting up his arms, so equally if we support and lift up in prayer every day then the church will see more and more victory as a result. If you pray for your Pastor and leaders for just five minutes every day you will be doing a great job, hopefully all will do the same.

"Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. Moses said unto Joshua, choose men and go out to fight with Amalek: tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. So Joshua did as Moses had said and fought with Amalek: Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.

It came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword."

Similarly, however long you have been in Christ you will also need the prayers of your brothers and sisters in Christ every day. Make a list of all the people who have joined the church writing the names of the females and the males on a separate piece of paper.

If the person at the top prays for the person mentioned below for just five minutes per day and the same thing happens all the way down the list (which should include the Pastor) then everybody will be covered in prayer if only for a short time every day.

This is the principle used by the Roman army when they went into battle. Not the prayer part but their shields were so large when held in front of them they not only covered themselves but the shield also partially covered the person next to them. Through this method of self defence the Roman army became greatly victorious.

Many other churches have tried these prayer principles for themselves and can testify of the difference that has been made in the church and the lives of its members. It still works in a wonderfully effective way today yet there are so few churches that use these principles, that is just one reason why the church sees so little real victory every day.

If you pray for your Pastor and leaders for just five minutes per day and pray for the next person down the list from you for a similar period of time then you will be doing a great and very effective thing. After a while you will find that what you thought had been only five minutes will have grown greatly into a length of intercessory prayer you never thought you could achieve.

The ministry of intercession (praying for others but not neglecting your prayer time with The Lord and the study of His word every day) is something that all of us are called to do in one way or another, though of course there will be some in the church who will be called to intercede for the members, the Pastor and leaders and or the church in a much deeper and lengthy way.

Do not think that because you are young in Christ that you will not be effective in your prayers, the very opposite is true because what you pray will be from the heart that has not been affected by the negativity that comes over the minds of many of those who have been in Christ Jesus for many more years than you have.

When you attend a church prayer meeting it will encourage many people greatly to hear your prayers after only a short time in Christ, remember to keep them in accordance with scripture, brief (not lengthy) and in faith and you will be laying the foundations of becoming a very effective prayer indeed.

Whatever you do and wherever you go always ask that the presence of God will go with you and give you wisdom to know what you should do and what you should say in every situation. This is what Jesus did when He walked the earth, and He would hear the instructions of Father before doing or saying anything, this is what we should do always.

Just as Jesus was able to hear instruction from Father at any time of the day or night so we too can hear Father's voice just as clearly as long as we do not switch off when we come out of the prayer closet every morning. Do you want to be like Jesus? God wants you to be like Him more and more. He was often up before dawn praying, you will find also that the best time to have personal fellowship with God is before breakfast.

Jesus sought Father every morning to know what plans He had for Him over the course of the whole day, He knew where to go, what to do and what to say, we too should have this prayerful attitude of mind every day and then we will see that this is another thing that will see the church gaining more and more victory day by day.

In John chapter 5 we read the story of Jesus healing a man who had been at the Pool of Bethesda for more than 30 years. Nobody else around that pool got healed that day. Only one person was healed because that was the only person Father told Jesus to heal on that day.

Later His disciples asked Jesus how they too could work such great miracles. The reply that Jesus gave them is of great significance. In John chapter 5 verse 19 we see the reply that Jesus gave: "Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but only what he sees the Father do: for whatever the Father does the Son does likewise."

In Exodus chapter 40 verses 36 to 37 inclusive we read: "When the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys: but if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up. It is a simple lesson that God wanted to teach His people in those days and wants to teach His people today – you do not move until I do.

So many times we have taken a verse of scripture or laid hands on a sick person claiming that we have done it in faith where as actually we have acted out of presumption because we were not instructed to do so at the time. If only we would be like Jesus and wait until we hear the instruction of Father first, then we shall surely be victorious.

read part 4...